Nightmare
by pure-black-wings
Summary: Waking up June 13th, 2015, Claire finds out how realistic dreams could be. The Indominous Rex never existed, and neither did her relationship with her nephews and Owen. No, Claire Dearing never really knew what she was missing until it was gone. Well, she guessed she never really had it in the first place. Now she can't decide what the real nightmare is: her dream or reality.
1. Chapter 1

**I had an idea for this fanfiction, and I really wanted to write it. It's my first time writing in this fandom, and it's been a couple years since I posted anything, but I'm really excited about writing this. I hope the first chapter is okay.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Jurassis World or Park, or any of its characters.**

* * *

 _It was over. It was finally over._ Claire Dearing repeated nonstop in her head.

She ran her fingers through Gray's hair as he laid his head in his aunt's lap. His breathing was steady as his eyes remained shut, but Claire didn't miss the way he flinched whenever someone's voice got louder or when an elderly couple sat down next to them.

Zach sat in silence on the other side of the bench. He didn't acknowledge them, but he made sure to stay close enough so that his back would brush against his aunt and his brother every once and while.

They sat there like that so long that Claire lost track of time.

After what seemed like hours, the redhead decided to lift her head and glance around the room. Her weary gaze ended up locking with familiar eyes filled with worry. _Karen._

Her eyes widened as she immediately tapped Zach on his shoulder, Gray's eyes snapping open as she shifted. "Your mother's here."

The boys quickly got to their feet and embraced their crying parents. Karen noticed Claire watching them and released her youngest son to wrap her sister in a tight embrace.

For the first time in a long time, the park operations manager didn't hesitate to hug her back.

When Karen stepped back from her sister to return to her sons, Claire took a step back. As much as she loved her sister and nephews, just was their time to figure things out as family. So she decided to do the same with the closest thing she had to one.

She scanned the large warehouse until she spotted Owen Grady showing an old man the way out. As soon as he was done, he turned his head as eventually found her.

They made their way through the crowd until they met in the middle of an aisle.

Both of them looked at each other, unsure of what to say, until Claire finally asked, "What now?"

"We should probably stick together," Owen replied, a grin appearing on his tired face, "For survival."

He began to step towards the door, unaware of the smile tugging at Claire's lips as she turned to follow him.

* * *

The first thing she was aware of was how quiet the room was. It was unsettling.

All the memories came at once. Owen teasing her about 'consulting', the Indominus getting out, trudging through the jungle in her work clothes, hitting the pterodactyl off of Owen's back, watching the raptor footage in the truck with her nephews, running from a T-Rex in high heels…

With the roar of the T-Rex echoing through her eyes, Claire shot out of bed, unable to control the scream that left her mouth. She frantically searched for Owen, Zach, and Gray only to realize that they weren't there. It was then that she realized where she was. Her apartment?

No, that couldn't be true. The Isla Nublar was evacuated shortly after sunrise. She remembered leaving with Owen after she left the boys with Karen and Scott…

Owen. Where was he? He said they would stick together, but he wasn't anywhere in sight.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. The redhead felt her panic raise as she slowly made her way to the front door, peeking through the peephole in the door.

Panic was quickly replaced with relief as she flung the door open. "Lowery!"

"Claire? What's wrong? Why'd you scream?"

Claire froze immediately at the look of confusion on her coworker's face. There wasn't any sign of emotion in his face that would've been expected for what they had just been through. She found herself dumbfounded. Why didn't he remember?

"Just a bad dream," she mumbled, "I'll be okay."

Lowery seemed even more confused with the uncharacteristic amount of emotion put into the statement, but he nodded slowly and left without another word.

She wasn't sure what to do. Her mind felt foggy as she walked to her closet that wasn't supposed to be there, in her apartment that she wasn't supposed to be in.

Thoughts swirled through Claire's head as she got ready the way she normally in. She was so confused that she didn't remember most of what she did between opening her closet door and stepping into her high heels the way out the door.

The apartment buildings on the island were off the shore, away from the resort. They were the residence of the staff of Jurassic World, well most of them anyway. Claire thought of Owen's bungalow as she sat down in her car. She wasn't sure what to do or where to go, but Owen was the only one she really wanted to see at the moment. After all they had seen yesterday, she was kind of hurt that he wasn't there when she woke up.

It felt so real. She could still feel the T-Rex's breath on her neck and the mud on skin. Her feet still ached from running around in her heels in the jungle.

Just as she was about to start her car, she heard her phone vibrate in the console. Hadn't she lost her phone?

She quickly pulled in out to see Zara's name flash on the screen. Her stomach did a backflip at the sight of it. While Zach and Gray hadn't exactly told her about happened to her assistant, the sorrow that filled their eyes when she had asked was all the answer she needed.

Claire went like the whole world was spinning. No, Zara was supposed to be dead. She wasn't supposed to be on this island. Owen was supposed to have been next to her when she woke up… right?

Her hand was trembling as she tapped the green button and lifted the phone to her ear. "Zara?"

"Thank god. Claire, where the hell have you been? I've been trying get ahold of you all morning. Mr. Masrani has been asking for you and Lowery all morning. It's to be expected of Lowery to sleep in, but you've never slept past six."

Claire let out a shaky breath. "What time is it?"

"Nine thirty."

Crap. "I'll be right there. I just have to check up on a paddock on the way."

Zara ended the call, leaving the operation manager sitting in silence. Claire felt numb. A voice in the back of her mind was whispering truths to her that she wasn't ready to hear, but it was right. There was no other explanation. But she didn't want to believe it. She couldn't believe it. Not until she found Owen.

* * *

 **I know it doesn't seem that interesting right now, but I have a good idea for this story. If you want me to continue, please review and let me know.**

 **pure-black-wings**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2! Upcoming chapters will be longer, I promise. I will update every Sunday, usually a lot earlier than I did today. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

The drive to the raptor paddock wasn't necessarily a long one, but it wasn't close either. Zara texted her every five minutes to remind her that Mr. Masrani wished to speak with her as soon as she was done.

Normally, Claire's work would've been her top priority, but after the Indominus Rex incident her priorities had changed quite a bit.

Unwanted thoughts gnawed at her mind as she put her car into park and stepped out in her black high heels and work outfit, but she stubbornly pushed them away.

"Look who decided to drop by!"

Claire froze as she heard a voice she was unfortunately familiar with. The redhead turned to see Hoskins giving her a nasty grin, and she felt her blood run cold.

This wasn't right. No, this couldn't be happening. She could still smell the metallic tint of blood in the air and hear his screams as Delta tore into him.

Ignoring Hoskins, she turned her attention to the only person there she could necessary tolerate. "Barry, where's Mr. Grady?"

Barry observed her curiously. She tried to keep an emotionless look on her face, but she knew that he could see the sheer terror in her eyes. She couldn't thank him enough for not mentioning it.

"He's with the girls."

The park operation manager flashed him a quick, grateful smile before making her way towards the paddock. Her stride faltered when she spotted him. His back was facing her, and he was slowly stroking the side of Blue's muzzle.

 _Come on, Claire, you can do this._ The words were repeated over and over in her head, trying to convince herself that she was not about to make a complete fool of herself. She was about to yell out 'Owen', but giving the evidence she decided upon something seemingly more appropriate.

"Mr. Grady."

When Owen looked up at her, the only emotion apparent in his face was confusion. "What do they want now?"

There aren't words for the pain Claire felt. She never thought she would be the kind of woman that relied on a man for anything, and even though she had stuck by Owen after the Indominus incident, she hadn't really considered what that had meant in the long run. It was just survival…

But now she knew. The way her heart shattered when she gazed into his eyes and saw no sign of familiarity or the horror that was expected after what they had seen, she knew it had been so much more than survival.

She left without another word. Hoskins yelled something after her, but her complete indifference blocked out his words. She simply walked to her car and left. She drove and didn't stop. She didn't think; she didn't pay attention to the constant ringing on her cell phone.

She didn't do anything until she stopped the car five miles away and quickly got out of her car.

Walking as swiftly as she could in heels, she went up to the staff door on the side of the paddock she had driven to and entered. She wasn't sure why the room that was supposed to be filled with trainers was empty, but she certainly wasn't complaining.

The only thing Claire managed to do was lock the door before she collapsed against the glass wall and slid to the ground. Violent sobs racked her body. Her breathing became labored. It wasn't real. None of it was real. It had all been just a dream.

 _A nightmare._ Those were the right words for it. The whole Indominus Rex incident had only been a nightmare. She should've been relieved. Her boss and assistant were alive. Her nephews hadn't been through a trauma that would without a doubt cause PTSD. Owen still had his raptors.

But Claire wasn't relieved at all. She was horrified. Her nephews hadn't seen her in seven years, and she couldn't remember the last time she had talked to her sister. Owen didn't care about her. The only thing he knew about her was that she was a stuck-up control freak that didn't care about any of the dinosaurs in the park and pretty much ruined their first date.

God, she was such an idiot.

After what seemed like forever, Claire ran out of tears to cry, but she still felt horrible. She glanced through the glass, searching the lush forest in the paddock. Nothing was there.

Suddenly, a low growl rang through her ears as her eyes snapped to the dense foliage in the paddock. Huge amber eyes stared back at her.

Most people would've seen their life flash before their eyes, but a ghost of a smile appeared on Claire's lips.

She didn't know what to do at this point. Everything that she believed to be true turned out to be just a dream, and every awful thing she had discovered about herself was still true. She was alone. She was known as heartless. Her world was crashing down around her. So she turned to the one thing that had saved her last time she needed to be saved.

"Hey, Rexy."

* * *

 **So there you have it. Please let me know what you think if you have time! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! I'm looking forward to writing it for you guys. Have a great week**

 **pure-black-wings**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so sorry that I was 3 weeks late updating! I know it's ridiculous, but life is crazy. School is crazy. I barely have time to sleep let alone write, but I'm doing my best. Anyway, here's chapter 3.**

* * *

Claire wasn't sure how long she sat next to Paddock 9, watching Rexy through the glass. She had felt like her whole world was crashing down around her, but for some reason the looking at the T-Rex soothed her.

But all good things must come to an end. She didn't want it to, but she decided it was time to get up after Zara's fifth phone call. She'd have time to mourn what she lost (and never really had in the first place) later.

Fifteen minutes later, Claire walked into the control room with perfect makeup, straight hair, and a blank hair. "How're we doing, Lowery?"

"All attractions are running smoothly, and guest satisfaction rates are fairly high," Lowery announced before lowering his voice, "Are you alright?"

She shot him glare, finding it very hard to keep the sarcasm out of her tone. "Yeah, never better."

Lowery didn't seem very pleased with her answer, but he had decided that it wasn't worth putting his superior in an even worse mood.

As the redhead observed the screens in front of her, she heard the elevator open with a ding behind her and the tapping of high heels against the hard floor.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Claire Dearing may have been having the worst day of her life, but hearing her assistant's familiar accent made a smile tug at her lips. The only reason she didn't mind the Indominus incident having never been reality was the fact that the closest person she had to a friend was still alive.

Zara quickly came to her side, a notepad in hand. "You've got four new messages, Miss Dearing. I've written them all down for you. InGen called, as well a couple of investors, but I suggest you respond to Mr. Masrani first."

"Since when do you call me Miss Dearing?" Claire asked, raising her eyebrow slightly.

The black haired woman glanced up at her, grinning sheepishly, "Sorry, Claire."

"It's fine. How's the wedding planning going?"

Claire took the notepad as she listened to Zara dramatically talk about her struggles with her wedding planner. She had never really noticed how much alike they were until now. They both walked in long strides side-by-side, their hair perfectly straight, and they rocked heels daily.

"Part of me wants to have it back in England. Would that be ok? I know that there's so much work to be done, but I my family would never fly all the way to the island..."

"Yeah, that's fine. You work as hard as I do, Zara. You deserve a week or so off."

The smile the black haired woman gave her in response made a week of handling her schedule on her own worth it. "Thank you! You know you're invited, right? You may as well be the Maid of Honor; I spend all my time with you anyway."

Claire didn't know what to say. She'd love to be there for her best friend. She'd love to get away from the land, all the dinosaurs, and Owen. But since Mr. Masrani only handled a select few issues, every other thing you could imagine was left to her.

"I'll try my best. Just give me a date and I'll try to get it worked out with Mr. Masrani."

Before Zara could respond, her phone started buzzing in her pocket. Claire gave her friend an apologetic look before answer her phone. "Claire Dearing."

"Ah, Claire. Slept in this morning I heard?" Mr. Masrani's voice asked.

She hesitated before replying, "Yeah, something like that. What do you need?"

"I need you to keep an eye on InGen. We tolerate them because they've given us a few good trainers, as well as invested highly in ACU and park protection, but they've been giving Dr. Wu an increased interest lately. They also have had someone stationed at the raptors paddock for months. Maybe consult with Mr. Grady about that. InGen did hire him on, but he's been very loyal to the park."

Her stomach did a flip as a wave of nausea. Owen. He wanted her to talk to Owen Grady. She had already seen him once this morning, and after her dream she didn't really want to see him again any time soon.

He didn't remember anything, but she did. She finally admitted to having feelings for someone in her life, and he didn't remember it. There was no way in hell she wanted to see him after being that vulnerable.

But it's not like she could say no to her boss. God, she felt like throwing up. "Yes, sir. I'll get right on it."

* * *

When the sun had finally set over Jurassic World, Claire collapsed on her bed. Her work never failed to drain all of her energy, especially after the restless night she had had.

She lay there for a few minutes, staring up at the ceiling. Suddenly, she pulled out her phone and began to dial a number she knew by heart, but hadn't called in a long time.

"Hello?"

Claire's heart skipped a beat as a familiar voice came from the speaker. She whispered a greeting, mentally exhausted. "Hey, Karen."

"Oh my god, Claire," Karen's voice chocked out. She could almost picture the tears running down her sister's face. "You never called."

"I know," the redhead replied, before adding, "I'm sorry."

"How are you? How is life at the park? It must be so exciting!"

Claire thought as she said softly, "It's okay, I guess."

The line went silent for a few moments before she blurted out, "I miss you."

"I miss you too. Oh, Claire, where did the time go?"

She wished she knew. Sometimes she asked herself the same question. "This all seemed like a good idea when I took the job. Work-wise, it's still great. I don't know. It's just kind of lonely."

"You have friends, don't you?"

"My assistant, Zara."

"And what about that guy? Owen?"

She forgot that the last time she had talked to her sister was two years ago, before she and Owen had gone on their awful date. Her heart ached slightly at the thought of him. "It didn't work out."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. It just wasn't meant to be, I guess."

Karen's voice faltered as she tried to respond, and when she did Claire couldn't be more surprised. "How about the boys come and visit you for a week? Things with Scott aren't going so great. Can they stay with you sometime next month while we get it figured out?"

An uncontrollable smile lit up her face at the thought of seeing Zach and Gray. In her dream, they had gotten pretty close. They had been the first people she had called family in a long time. She didn't really remember much of what it was like to have a family that she was close to, but she knew that she would jump at the chance to find out.

"Of course! I'd love that!"

"That's great! I'm sure they'd love to see you!" Karen exclaimed, before adding, "I got to go. Talk to you soon?"

It was a question, not a statement. Claire knew that. They hadn't talked in two years, and she could hear the hope in her sister's voice that it wouldn't be that long again. "Yeah. I'll call you tomorrow."

She could almost picture the smile on Karen's face. "Sounds great! Good night, Claire."

"Good night."

All her problems momentarily forgotten, Claire felt herself drifting off to sleep. For the first time in as long as she could remember, Claire Dearing didn't feel so alone.

* * *

 **So there's chapter 3! Please let me know what you thought of it if you have time! Thanks!**

 **pure-black-wings**


End file.
